Basketball in Baton Rouge just hits different. You’ve felt it if you’ve ever walked near the PMAC on a game night—that buzzing, electric energy that Kim Mulkey somehow bottled up and sold to the entire state of Louisiana. But let’s be real for a second. When Angel Reese headed to the WNBA and Hailey Van Lith packed her bags for TCU, a lot of people outside the 225 started whispering. They thought the party was over.
They were wrong.
The LSU women's basketball roster 2024 wasn't just a collection of "who's left" after a championship hangover. It was a calculated, slightly chaotic, and high-octane pivot. Honestly, looking back at the 2024-25 season stats, the way this group stayed in the top ten while completely changing their identity is kind of wild. They went from a team defined by "Bayou Barbie" to a three-headed monster on the perimeter that most defenses couldn't touch.
The Real Core of the LSU Women's Basketball Roster 2024
Most casual fans didn't realize that even with the big names gone, the Tigers returned a massive chunk of their scoring. We’re talking over 65% of the points from the previous year. That’s not a rebuild; that’s a reload.
Flau’jae Johnson didn't just step into a leadership role—she basically took over the building. In 2024, she averaged 18.6 points per game. That’s a jump. You could see the confidence oozing out of her every time she pulled up from the wing. Then you have Mikaylah Williams, the reigning SEC Freshman of the Year at the time, who proved that her first season wasn't a fluke. She put up 17.3 points a night as a sophomore.
Aneesah Morrow: The Silent Engine
If you want to talk about who actually held the floor together, it was Aneesah Morrow. She’s 6'1" but plays like she’s 6'10". People forget she was an All-American at DePaul before she ever put on a purple and gold jersey. In the 2024-25 season, she was a walking double-double:
- 18.7 points per game
- 13.5 rebounds per game
- A staggering 2.5 steals per game
She was the bridge. While the guards were flashy and getting the TikTok edits, Morrow was in the paint doing the dirty work that Kim Mulkey loves.
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Moving Pieces and Transfer Portal Magic
Mulkey is basically the GM of the year every time the portal opens. She knew the LSU women's basketball roster 2024 needed depth, specifically at the point. So, she went out and grabbed Shayeann Day-Wilson and Kailyn Gilbert.
It wasn't always seamless.
Early in the season, you could tell they were still figuring out who was supposed to have the ball in their hands when the shot clock hit five seconds. Day-Wilson brought that Miami and Duke experience, while Gilbert came in from Arizona. It was a lot of new personalities in one locker room. But by the time they hit that December 5th game against Stanford—a 94-88 win—it clicked.
The Frontcourt Identity Crisis
The biggest question mark was always the height. Without Reese, the Tigers looked a bit smaller on paper. Sa’Myah Smith coming back from that brutal knee injury (ACL, MCL, and meniscus) was huge. She wasn't 100% right away, but she provided that 6'2" frame they desperately needed.
Then there was Jersey Wolfenbarger. At 6'5", the Arkansas transfer was the tallest person on the court most nights. She didn't put up massive scoring numbers (around 4.6 points), but her presence changed how teams attacked the rim. Basically, if you tried to drive on LSU in 2024, you were going to meet a wall of arms.
Why the SEC Was Terrified of This Group
LSU finished that season 31-6. Think about that. 31 wins in the SEC while everyone was waiting for them to fall off. They led the nation in points per game for a huge chunk of the year, averaging nearly 85.
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They weren't the most disciplined team—they turned the ball over about 14 times a game—but they made up for it by being absolute bullies on the glass. They averaged 46 rebounds. That’s just effort. That’s the Mulkey "culture" everyone talks about. You might out-skill them for a quarter, but you aren't going to out-work them for forty minutes.
The Coaching Factor
Kim Mulkey didn't do it alone. Bringing Seimone Augustus back to Baton Rouge as an assistant coach was a stroke of genius. You’ve got a literal legend sitting on the bench. When a player like Jada Richard—the freshman who was Louisiana’s Player of the Year—looks over and sees Seimone, she listens. That kind of E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trust) isn't something you can recruit via the portal; you have to build it over decades.
What Most People Get Wrong About the 2024 Season
There’s this narrative that the season was a "disappointment" because they lost in the Regional Final to UCLA.
Stop.
Getting to the Elite Eight with a roster that lost its two most famous players is a masterclass. The LSU women's basketball roster 2024 proved that the program is a destination, not a one-hit-wonder. They played in front of sold-out crowds (averaging over 10,000 at home) because the brand of basketball was fun. It was fast. It was loud.
The 2024 Roster Breakdown at a Glance
If you look at the minutes played, the rotation was tighter than people realize. Mulkey leaned heavily on her vets.
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The guards were the heart. Flau’jae Johnson, Mikaylah Williams, and Last-Tear Poa handled the heavy lifting. Poa, even though her stats look modest (2.0 points), was the defensive specialist. She was the one Mulkey would throw at the opponent's best player to make their life miserable.
The forwards were the muscle. Morrow and Sa'Myah Smith took the brunt of the physical play. Aalyah Del Rosario, the 6'6" center, saw her minutes fluctuate, but in games against teams with real size (like NC State), she was the only reason LSU survived the paint.
Moving Forward: The 2025-26 Looming Shadow
As the 2024 season wound down, the "Great Reset" happened again.
- Aneesah Morrow went to the WNBA.
- Sa’Myah Smith and Last-Tear Poa entered the transfer portal.
- Aalyah Del Rosario moved on.
It’s the new normal in college sports. But because of the foundation laid by the 2024 roster, Kim Mulkey was able to land Kate Koval (the Notre Dame transfer) and MiLaysia Fulwiley (from South Carolina). The cycle repeats because the 2024 team proved the system works even when the stars change.
How to Analyze This Roster Yourself
If you're trying to figure out if a team is going to be good, don't just look at the recruiting rankings. Look at the "returner production." The 2024 LSU team succeeded because they kept the right people (Flau'jae and Mikaylah) and filled the holes with specific types of transfers (Morrow).
To really understand the impact of the LSU women's basketball roster 2024, you need to watch the tape of the Spokane Regional. Watch how they moved without the ball. That was a team that actually liked playing together, which isn't always a given in the era of NIL.
Actionable Insights for Following LSU Basketball:
- Track the Transfer Portal Early: Mulkey usually makes her moves in April. If you see a high-volume rebounder enter the portal, assume LSU is calling.
- Watch the Defensive Ratings: LSU’s success isn't just about 100-point games. It’s about their "Defensive Rating" (which was 84.7 in 2024, 55th in the nation). When that number drops, they win championships.
- Follow the Staff: Keep an eye on assistants like Bob Starkey. He’s the defensive architect. If he’s there, the defense will be top-tier.
The 2024 season wasn't just another year in the record books. It was the year LSU proved they were a permanent fixture at the top of the mountain. Check the official LSU Athletics site or Sports-Reference for the deep-dive box scores if you want to see the game-by-game grind of how this roster actually functioned.